Venice‘s mayor has called for the city to be declared a disaster zone after the second highest tide ever recorded left 85 per cent of it underwater.
Two people have died in severe flooding, including one man in his 70s who was killed on the barrier island of Pellestrina when he was struck by lightning while using an electric water pump.
Luigi Brugnaro said the flooding was “the result of climate change“ and warned the damage could cost millions of euros.
Francesco Moraglia, the Archbishop of Venice, said St Mark’s Basilica, which has been flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years, may suffer “irreparable” harm.
The high-water mark hit 187cm (74in) late on Tuesday. The highest level ever recorded was 194cm (76in) during infamous flooding in 1966.
The head of Italy’s transport commission vowed to send lawmakers to Venice to review the long-delayed flood protection barrier system which it is believed could have prevented the high tides.
Construction of the “Mose” system began in 2003 and was set to be completed by 2011, however it is still unfinished and is now predicted to be ready by the end of 2021.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the flooding of Venice, which has been high by the second-highest levels ever recorded.
The high-water mark hit 187cm (74in) late on Tuesday, meaning more than 85 per cent of the canal city was flooded.
The highest level ever recorded was 194cm (76in) during infamous flooding in 1966.
Venice is bracing for another wave today.
Venice's mayor has blamed climate change for the city's highest tide in over 50 years
Highest tides in 50 years plunge Venice squares underwater as 'result of climate change'
'The situation is dramatic,' city's mayor tweets. 'We ask the government to help us. The cost will be high'One person, a man in his 70s, died on the barrier island of Pellestrina, apparently of electrocution, Danny Carrella, an official on the island with 3,500 inhabitants told the Associated Press.
He said the situation there remained dramatic, with a meter of water still present due to broken pumps.
The fire brigade said the man was struck by lightning while using an electric water pump.
St Mark’s Square was left submerged under more than one metre (3.3ft) of water, while St Mark’s Basilica was flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years.
Four of those inundations have come within the last 20 years, most recently in October 2018.
Venice's mayor, Mr Brugnaro, said the basilica suffered "grave damage" but no details were available about the state of its interior.
Its administrator said the basilica had aged 20 years in a single day when it was flooded last year.
Night-time footage showed a torrent of water whipped up by high winds raging through the city centre.
"We ask the government to help us," Mr Brugnaro tweeted. "The cost will be high. This is the result of climate change."
He said he would declare a disaster zone and ask the government to call a state of emergency, which would allow funds to be freed to address the damage.
"A high tide of 187cm is going to leave an indelible wound," Mr Brugnaro added.
A man has been filmed swimming across St Mark's Square wearing only shorts on Tuesday evening.
Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, described a scene of "apocalyptic devastation".
"Venice is on its knees.. the art, the basilica, the shops and the homes, a disaster.. The city is bracing itself for the next high tide," Mr Zaia said on TV.
The head of the Venice hotel association said the damage was enormous, with many hotels losing electricity and lacking pumps to remove water.
Tourists with ground floor rooms were had to be evacuated to higher floors as the waters rose Tuesday night, the association director Claudio Scarpa told ANSA.
Airlines are operating as normal as flooding reaches the second-highest levels ever recorded in Venice.
“We are aware of reports of flooding in Venice and our thoughts are with those affected," a spokesperson for easyJet said. "Our schedule to Venice is operating as normal today.
“Customers scheduled to travel to or from Venice who wish to discuss their booking should contact our customer service team."
The Foreign and Commonwealth office has not issued a travel warning for Venice.
"The entire city is shut down," tour guide James Hill told The Independent. "Schools, museums and offices closed."
The overnight surge triggered several fires, including one at the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca' Pesaro, with hundreds of calls to the fire brigade.
Much of Italy has been pummelled by torrential rains in recent days, with widespread flooding, especially in the southern heel and toe of the country.
In Matera, this year's European Capital of Culture, rain water cascaded through the streets and inundated the city's famous cave-dwelling district.
Across the Adriatic Sea, heavy storm and sweeping winds also collapsed caused floods in towns in Croatia and Slovenia.
In the Croatian town of Split, authorities on Wednesday said that the flooding submerged the basement area of the Roman-era Diocletian's Palace where emergency crews battled to pump out the water.
Slovenia's coastal towns of Piran, Izola and Koper reported that sea levels reached the second highest point in the last 50 years.
A second person has died on the island of Pellestrina, bringing the death toll to two.
Floodwaters have inundated the famous St Mark's Basilica, raising fresh concerns over damage to the mosaics and other artworks.
The electrical system at La Fenice theater was deactivated after waters entered the service area, and firefighters brought under control a blaze in the Ca' Pesaro modern art gallery, caused by a short circuit.
Officials said a second exceptional high of 160cm (63in) was recorded at midmorning on Wednesday, but was quickly receding.
The financial cost of the severe flooding is likely to run to hundreds of millions of euros, Mr Brugnaro, the mayor, has said.
Meanwhile, a senior cleric warned the city's historic St Mark's Basilica risked "irreparable" harm.
"The Basilica is suffering structural damage because the water has risen and so it's causing irreparable damage, especially when it dries out in the lower section of the mosaics and tiling," Venice Archbishop Francesco Moraglia told a news conference.
Asked about the likely financial impact, Mr Brugnaro said: "It's in the hundreds of millions of euros."
"Venice is on its knees," Mr Brugnaro, Venice's mayor, said on Twitter. "St Mark's Basilica has sustained serious damage, like the entire city and its islands."
"We are not just talking about calculating the damages, but of the very future of the city" Mr Brugnaro told reporters. "Because the population drain also is a result of this."
Tourists have been seen floating suitcases through St Mark's Square, where officials removed walkways to prevent them from floating away.
The water was so high nothing less than thigh-high boots afforded protection.
Water poured through wooden boards shop and hotel owners have previously placed in front of doors to hold back water during flooding.
Here are some dramatic photos of the flooding in Venice shared by the city's mayor, Mr Brugnaro:
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